2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Hilo, HI vs Santa Cruz, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Santa Cruz, is 37% more than it is in Hilo and is 28% above the National Average.
- Hilo unemployment rate is 8.4%.
- Santa Cruz unemployment rate is 4.5%.
 Hilo, HISanta Cruz, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.5%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.8%1.6%
 Future Job Growth33.5%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes4.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$34,678  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$96,217$69,021
 Family Median Income$87,016  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Hilo, HISanta Cruz, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock10.7%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.3%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock7.9%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K6.7%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock4.6%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.4%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock6.1%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K13.0%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock16.1%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K10.2%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock20.7%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Hilo, HISanta Cruz, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance14.3%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock12.2%6.5%
 Community, social services2.1%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.7%1.2%
 Education, library9.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock4.3%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.7%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.9%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement4.1%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock9.9%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.0%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.3%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.9%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair7.8%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock5.2%13.1%
Reviews for Hilo    10 Reviews

If you’re looking at Hilo, then you’re likely being recruited in the medical or education fields. These are where the greatest needs of the community lie, and there are  More

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Over 4 years ago

I enjoyed living in Hawaii County for a number of years, most in Hilo. While Hilo has problems, they are few compared to mainland USA. I never experienced racism by  More

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Over 4 years ago

Too much racism from "native Hawaiians" who aren't actually natives. That keeps me from living in that paradise. I'm this is the "natives" goal.  More

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Reviews for Santa Cruz    44 Reviews

I lived in the Santa Cruz area for 20 years. UCSC alum. Our kids were born there. There are wonderful things about Santa Cruz, but also many serious problems that we  More

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Over 5 years ago

I have been here for four generations! My kids are the fifth. I guess that should tell you how wonderful it is here, at least for us. It's so cool to have world class  More

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I was born over the hill in San Jose area, and as a kid I loved coming over to the boardwalk. Santa Cruz has always been and always will be a town of diversity,  More

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